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if VI 1/ l e o o o o No. 6|3,405. Patented Nov. l, |898. F. D. BELKNAP.

STENCIL PRINTING MACHINE.

(Application filed F`eb. 8, 189B.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

IIIIII ma News PETERS co., vnovaumn.. msummon, n, c.

' 1: NITE STATES muon.

ArtNr FRANK DRAYTON BELKNAP, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

vSPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,405, dated. November 1, 1898.

Application filed February 8, 1898. Serial No. 669,505. (No model.)

Machines, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to stencil-printing machines, and is more specifically designed to produce a type of machine operating to print a series of addresses by means of a series of stencil-cards on which said addresses have been previously stamped or pricked out.

The machine is designed to be an improvement on several which I have heretofore obtained Letters Patent of the United States for, in that the number of parts is reduced and all rapidly moving reciprocating elements are dispensed with.

The preferred form of my invention is illus-v trated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the machine. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation and partial section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail showing` the operation of the feeding-iingcrs. Figs. 4 and 5 are details showing the operation of the ejecting-springs. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the manner in which each stencil-card fits over an inking-pad.

Throughout the drawings like referenceigures refer to like parts.

1 represents the main frame of the machine.

2 is a rotating cylinder mounted on the shaft 3.

4 4, dto., represent a series of inking-pads disposed about the circumference of the rotating cylinder, each of said inking-pads being provided on its forward edge with one or more feeding-fingers 5.

6 represents a large gear-wheel keyed on the shaft 3 and meshing with both the smaller gear-wheels 7 on the shaft '7a and S on the shaft 82.

9 represents a sprocket-wheel on the shaft 7a, which, by means of a sprocket-chain 10 and similar sprocket-wheel engaging therewith, rotates the impression-roller 11. This impression-roller is arranged tangentially to the inking-pads 4 4, ne., and is preferably formed with portions of its face cutaway, as

shown. This impression-roller is mounted in arms 12 12, one of which is partly broken away in Fig. 2.

On the shaft S is the sprocket-wheel 13,

which, by means of the sprocket-chain 14 and larger sprocket-wheel meshing therewith, rotates the ink-roller 15, which is journaled in the ink well or fountain 16. This ink-fountain is preferably hinged at one side, as at 30, and supported at the other side by a setscreW 3l, so as to render the ink-roller 15 adjustable to and from the inking-pad in the direction of the radius of the rotating cylinder 2.

At a point intermediate of the ink-roller and the impression-roller is located a magazine 17, holding a series of stencil-cards 18. This magazine is preferably inclined to the horizontal, plane and has a sliding or rollermounted follower 19, which presses the column of cards down to the bottom of the magazine. The bottom of the magazine is slotted or entirely open and is arranged tangentially to the circumference of the rotating cylinder and the curved ink-pads mounted thereon. Through the slots or openings in the bottom of the magazine pass the feeding-fingers 5 to engage with ledges or projections 2O on the face of each card.

Preferably the projections 20 are formed by a reinforced frame thicker than the body of the stencil-card, rectangular in shape, and of the size to just fit over any one of the series of inking-pads 4, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

21 represents one of a series of rectangular frames curved to fit the circumference of the cylinder and employed to hold the inkingpads in place on the cylinder. Each surrounds a pad and is fastened to the cylinder by screws. Of course other means of attaching said pads to the cylinder might be used; but I have illustrated the above as being at present the best known to me.

22 is an apron having stripping-fingers 22a, whichv pass on either side of the inking-pad and under the reinforced frame of the stencil-card to lift the same from the inking-pad after it has passed from under the impression-roller 11 and discharge the same into the card-box 23.

24 24 represent a set of ejector-arms mounted IOO on and rotating with the impression-roller 11.

25 represents, Figs. 4 and 5, an ejectingspring which may be placed beside each one of the inking-pads on the rotating cylinder 2 and which normally stands in the position shown in Fig. 4, except when a projecting lug 25 is borne down to compress the spring as it passes under the curved guard 26, which extends from the bottom vof the magazine of cards to the impression-roller.

The shaft of the impression-roller 11 might be journaled in stationary bearings where an automatic feed for the envelops to be addressed is employed; but for hand feeding of such envelops or other articles I prefer to have the supporting-arms 12 journaled on the shaft 7 or some similar pivotal point, and then provide means for lifting the impression-roller away from the rotating cylinder when one inking-pad has passed and retaining it away until another inking-pad comes up in position. The device for producing this motion in the apparatus shown in the drawings consists of the weighted arm 27 27, provided with a cam-roller 28, which runs over the cam 29 on the shaft SW.

The mode of operating my invention is as follows: Ink being placed in the ink-fountain 16 and a series of stencil-cards having the desired addresses punched therein being placed in the magazine 17, motion is given to any one of the shafts 3, 7, or Sa by means of a belt-pulley or other means (not shown) and the cylinder 2 begins to rotate. rlhe inkroller 15 rotates at the same circumferential speed, or approximately so, and imparts a coating of ink to each one of the pads 4 as the same runs over its upper surface. As the pad comes opposite the bottom of the card-magazine the feeding-fingers 5 come into contact with the inner edge of the reinforced frame 2O or other projection on the face of the card at the bottom of the magazine, and said card is slipped ont of the magazine and carried olf on the ink-pad in the position shown in Fig. 6. As each inking-pad, with a card placed thereon, comes under the impression-roller 17 the full-faced portion of said roller is in position to meet the same and travel at the same circumferential speed by reason of the fact that the cam-roller 28 is at that time passing over the full-faced portion' of the cam 29. Consequently the envelop which has been fed in by the hand of the operator between the impression-roller and the rotating cylinder is pressed down on the stencil-card and the inl; carried by the inkingpad is forced up through the perforations in said stencil to print the address on the envelop. Further rotation discharges the envelop after it is printed, or if this is not effected by the motion given to such envelop the revolution of the ejector-arm 24 effects it. As the card passes on it is stripped off by the strippers 22"L and slides down the apron 22 into the card-box 23. As each card is taken out of the magazine the sliding follower 19 pushes the column down, so that the next card is in lposition to be seized by the next set of feeding-fingers attached to the next inking-pad.

In case the card should be held on the inl;- ing-pad by the feeding-fingers 5 so that it could not be pulled off by the strippers 22 without tearing it the ejector-arms 24 are so shaped as to strike the rear edge of the card at the proper momentjust before its front edge reaches the strippers and drives said card forward slightly, sufficiently to disengage its frame from the feeding-ngers 5.

In case the frame of the card should fit so tightly over the inking-pad that this loosening could not be effected by the ejector-arm, as above described, I employ the ejcctingsprings 25, which are normally in thc position shown in Fig. 4, but while passing under the curved guard 26 are held down thereby, so as to permit the card to lie flat on the inking-pad. Then the card has passed out from under the impression-roller l1, the lug 25n of the ejecting-spring also passes out from under the curved guard 26, and the spring 25, returning to its normal position, lifts the rear edge of the card, so that its frame clears the inking-pad, and a blow from the ejector-arm 24 will send it sliding down over the ejectorfingers 22 and apron 22 into the card-box.

It is evident, of course, that various changes could be made in the details of the apparatus here shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention so long as the relative arrangement of parts illustrated in the drawings and the principle of operation set forth in the specification are preserved. Other forms of intermediate gearing might be employed, other means for producing the up-and-down motion of the impression-roller might be substituted, dsc., but these and similar changes I regard as matters of form and not of substance, which would leave the modified apparatus still within my invention.

The advantages of my invention consist in the reduction of the number of parts and consequent cheapness of the apparatus; but the principal point is the substitution of a rotary movement for the reciprocating movement illustrated, for instance, in my Patent No. 592,603, dated October 26, 1897, and the consequent reduction in wear and tear and noise of operation, together with the material increase in the speed of running thereby rendered possible.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a stencil-printing machine, the combination of the rotating cylinder, a series of ink-pads disposed about the circumference thereof, an ink-roller arranged tangentially to said pads, an impression-roller, also arranged tangentially to the pads at another point in the circumference of the cylinder, a magazine of stencil-cards located between the ink roller and the impression roller, and means for transferring the cards one by one IOC) IIO

to the ink-pads from said magazine, substantially as described.

2. In a stencil-printing machine, the combination of the rotating cylinder, a series of ink-pads disposed about the circumference thereof, an ink-roller arranged tangentially to said pads, an impression-roller also arranged tangentially to the pads at another point in the circumference of the cylinder, a magazine of stencil-cards located between the ink roller and the impression roller, and means for transferring the cards one by one to the ink-pads from said magazine, together with the stripping-fingers located on the opposite side of the cylinder to the card-magazine, substantially as described.

3. In a stencil-printing machine, the combination of the rotating cylinder, a series of ink-pads disposed about the circumference thereof, an ink-roller arranged tangentially to said pads, an impression-roller also arranged tangentially to the pads at another point in the circumference of the cylinder, a magazine of stencil-'cards located between the ink roller and the impression roller, and means for transferring the cards one by one to the ink-pads from said magazine, together with the vibrating carriage on Which the impression-roller is mounted, and mechanism which vibrates the same to and from the rotating cylinder, substantially as described.

4. In a stencil-printing machine the combination of the rotating cylinder, one or more ink-pads disposed around the circumference of said cylinder, one or more feeding-fingers arranged in front of each pad, and a magazine for stencil-cards, having a slotted bottom, which bottom is arranged tangentially to the cylinder and through the slot or slots of which the feedingfingers project, substantially as described.

5. In a stencil-printing machine the combination of the rotating cylinder, one or more ink-pads disposed around the circumference of said cylinder, one or more feeding-ngers arranged in front of each pad, and a magazine for stencil-cards, having a slotted bottom, which bottom is arranged tangentially to the cylinder and through the slot or slots of which the feeding-ngers project, together with a series of stencil-cards in said magazine, each of which has a projection so disposed as to be caught by the passing fingers, substantially as described.

6. In a stencil-printing machine the combination of the rotating cylinder, one or more ink-pads disposed around the circumference of said cylinder, one or more feeding-fingers arranged in front of each pad, and a magazine for stencil-cards, having a slotted bottom, which bot-tom is arranged tangentially tothe cylinder and through the slot or slots of which the feeding-fingers project, together with the ink-roller and the impression-roller disposed on either side of said magazine, substantially as described.

7. In a stencil-printing machine, the combination of the rotating cylinder, one or more ink-pads disposed around the circumference of said cylinder, one or more feeding-fingers arranged in front of each pad, and a magazine for stencillcards, having a slotted bottom, which bottom is arranged tangentially to the cylinder' and through the slot or slots of which the feeding-fingers project, said magazine being inclined to the horizon and having a sliding follower mounted therein, substantially as described.

8. In a stencil-printing machine, the combination of the rotating cylinder, the impression-roller, a series of inking-pads disposed about the circumference of the cylinder, and a series of stencil-cards provided with rein forced frames, said frames being large enough to lit over the inking-pads, substantially as described.

9. In a stencil-printing machine the com' bination of the rotating cylinder, a series of inking-pads disposed about the circumference of said cylinder, a magazine of stencil-'cards each of `which is provided with a reinforced frame large enough to fit over an inking-pad, an impression-roller, a guard=strip extending from the base of the magazine to the impression-roller, and an ej ecting-spring located beside each inking-pad and compressed vby the guard-strip While passing under the same, substantially as described.

10. In a stencil-printing machine, the combination of the rotating cylinder which has a Ioo series of inking-pads disposed about the circumference thereof, an impression roller which has a portion of its face cut away, and is arranged tangentially to the pads, a magazine of stencil-cards, meansfor transferring the cards one by one from said magazine to the ink-pads, and the ejector-arms mounted on and rotating with the impression-roller, substantially as described.

Signed by me at New York city this 29th 11o Witnesses:

PAUL STRoUP, EDW. D. BELKNAP. 

